5 Overlooked & Rad AF Music Videos

TV Girl’s “Taking What’s Not Yours”

Brad Petering of TV Girl once again taps into the malaise of contemporary relationships with his carbonated but crestfallen “Taking What’s Not Yours”. Listlessly naming off items that he’s lost to the belly of old apartments, Petering sings through dissipating clouds of pulpy mortar fire. Here, in the video for that very song, Dasha Nekrasova pulls off half-hearted pirouettes to the resignation of Petering’s lyrics. It’s a perfect aesthetic for a band that rejoices in self-immolation and languid love.

Mommy Long Legs’ “Life RIPS”

Mommy Long Legs takes blood-flecked fun to new heights in their anarchistic and glitter doused video for “Life RIPS”. Incisor flashing coolness, gummy worms, and lipstick that could have been applied with a paint roller. The visuals – glib leaping, photo posing, sand-punting – are a perfect match for the swell of “yeahs” as sung by the band. These are probably the raddest four minutes of your future.

Mozart’s Sister’s “Good Thing, Bad Thing”

How has this song not been featured on “Girls” yet? With its glib baying and night-worshiping, this is in Lena Dunham’s wheelhouse. Caila Thompson-Hannant’s video for “Good Thing, Bad Thing” is dotted with body swaying, staccato twirling, and glorious head-bobbing. It’s a carefree expression of aloof living – think night crawling and unbridled exuberance for all things potentially bad for you. Thompson-Hannant belts with confidence, with confessional abandon.

Polica’s “Lime Habit”

With it’s bright spattering of colors and its undertones of bleakness, Polica’s “Lime Habit” looks something like Yeasayer album art as if coordinated by 1980s Peter Gabriel. Singer Channy Leaneagh, meanwhile, stands idly by, emoting only barely (think Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries). Her monochrome likeness emboldened further by the song’s crushingly sad lyrics. It’s a strange waltz of glee and profound introspection that the band is so known for. Absolutely entrancing.

Chela’s “Handful of Gold”

Chela’s video for “Handful of Gold” is lacquered in the marred glow of city lights and restaurant signs. The cool sheen of a taco shop’s booth. The electric possibilities of friends. The absence of restraint in social situations. And those super sweet dance moves. It’s a cat’s cradle of conviction and vulnerability. And one of the best accompaniments to a song ever.

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The program director of the Olympia Film Society, Rob is also a former San Diego Film Critics Society member. He has written for The East County Californian, The Alpine Sun, The East County Herald, The San Diego Entertainer, and the San Diego Reader. When he isn't curating a film festival, he is drinking rosé out of a plastic cup in Seattle or getting tattoos from Jenn Champion.